Farrell Munns left his Depression-era farm in Utah more than a half-century ago, but the farm ethic never left him. Two-thirds of Munns' residential lawn was a homemade garden -- an expanse of vegetables and fruit trees stretching from the sidewalk to the lake behind his home. "Growing up, we felt like we were farmworkers at times," said his son Rulon Munns. When Farrell Munns died at 86 on July 31 from pancreatic cancer, the acre surrounding his Windermere home had 27 types of fruit and nut trees, which he tended from his golf cart when his health began to decline.

Thank goodness for Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner's gigantic upset over Russian Alexander Karelin, who was thought to be unbeatable. Maybe a victory such as this one will take some of the focus off the numerous positive drug tests of this year's Olympics.

ATHENS -- Rulon Gardner hastily untied his shoes, his eyes stinging with sweat and tears. After the referee declared him a 3-0 bronze-medal winner over Iran's Sajad Barzi, Gardner sat down on the center of the mat and took off his size-13 white wrestling shoes striped in blue. He did it just like he did when he was a kid, he said later. Only Wednesday, at 33, he did it for the last time. Gardner placed his shoes in the center of the mat at Ano Liossia Olympic Hall and walked to his coach, covering his eyes with one hand and gripping the American flag with the other.

JAPAN II. Orlando lawyer Rulon Munns has been receiving quite a few visitors the past few months - Japanese business people interested in investing in Central Florida. ''For some reason, the pace has picked up considerably,'' says Munns, who made numerous contacts while living in Japan as a Mormon missionary. The investors are especially interested in land and golf courses, he says.

THE HARDEST hit Denver defensive end Rulon Jones ever has taken came during a rodeo, not a football game. When Jones was 15 he participated in the bronc-riding division of the Rocky Mountain Rodeo Association. He was thrown off and almost knocked unconscious. He said while he was clearing the cobwebs, the bronc roared back and ''ran right over me. I was walking around dingy for three hours. I decided football wasn't that dangerous.''

STILL HUNGRY. Kamori Kanko Co. hasn't yet quenched its thirst for Central Florida properties. The Japanese company, which bought Sabal Point Country Club in Seminole County for $5.5 million, is shopping for more opportunities, says Orlando lawyer Rulon Munns, who represents Kamori. He won't identify any prospects, but says, ''I think you will see them do other things.'' The resort company, with 4,000 employees, plans to open an office in the Orlando area. Japanese investors also are apparently interested in Glen Muir, a 578-acre luxury-home and golf-course community planned for next to Isleworth in west Orange County.

This is bigger than the World Series Tommy Lasorda, U.S. Olympic baseball coach after his team upset Cuba for the gold medal You want to talk Biggest Upset of the Olympics? ... In an exhibition hall that was packed with people who had no idea of what they would be treated to, an American farm boy from Wyoming named Rulon Gardner pulled off an unimaginable upset victory. He won gold by beating the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler ever, Alexander Karelin, the most frightening man on the planet, a Russian legend who hadn't lost an international wrestling match in his life.

Farrell Munns left his Depression-era farm in Utah more than a half-century ago, but the farm ethic never left him. Two-thirds of Munns' residential lawn was a homemade garden -- an expanse of vegetables and fruit trees stretching from the sidewalk to the lake behind his home. "Growing up, we felt like we were farmworkers at times," said his son Rulon Munns. When Farrell Munns died at 86 on July 31 from pancreatic cancer, the acre surrounding his Windermere home had 27 types of fruit and nut trees, which he tended from his golf cart when his health began to decline.

Greco-Roman wrestling A lot has happened to American Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner since he won the gold medal in the super heavyweight division at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. For starters, he could have died. Two years ago, he was involved in a snowmobile accident in which he fell into an icy river and was soaked and lost in frigid temperatures. He had to endure an icy Wyoming winter night before being rescued the next morning. But he was alive. He did lose his toe to frostbite, but he can deal with that.

Greco-Roman wrestling A lot has happened to American Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner since he won the gold medal in the super heavyweight division at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. For starters, he could have died. Two years ago, he was involved in a snowmobile accident in which he fell into an icy river and was soaked and lost in frigid temperatures. He had to endure an icy Wyoming winter night before being rescued the next morning. But he was alive. He did lose his toe to frostbite, but he can deal with that.

ATHENS -- Rulon Gardner took a last glance at two things before leaving for the Olympics: his gold medal and his toe. One he keeps around his house back in Wyoming. The other he keeps in his refrigerator. "It looks like death," Gardner said. It's the middle toe of his right foot. Somewhere between the mayonnaise jar and the leftover meatloaf is a black-and-blue reminder of how far he has come. The last time most of the world noticed Gardner, he was on top of it. The big guy with the crewcut and goofy smile beat the baddest man on earth.

Anna Kournikova's reward for a hard-fought victory over fellow wild card Selima Sfar of Tunisia is a match with Venus Williams. Kournikova beat Sfar 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-4 in the featured night match of the $585,000 Dubai Open in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Williams, who had a first-round bye, will take over the No. 1 ranking next week after already winning three tournaments this year. Williams will pass Jennifer Capriati next week to take over the top spot in the WTA rankings. Williams is 137 points behind Capriati, who will lose 141 points next week because she is not entered in Oklahoma City.

Rulon Gardner's 1-0 victory over Aleksandr Karelin in the 130-kilogram (286-pound) division of Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, puts him into the spotlight again tonight in New York, where he'll receive the Amateur Athletic Union's award for the nation's top amateur athlete. The James E. Sullivan Award is presented to the athlete who has achieved athletic excellence and best exhibited the ideals of sportsmanship, leadership and amateurism. Gardner was the first wrestler to pin a loss on Karelin in 13 years.

This is bigger than the World Series Tommy Lasorda, U.S. Olympic baseball coach after his team upset Cuba for the gold medal You want to talk Biggest Upset of the Olympics? ... In an exhibition hall that was packed with people who had no idea of what they would be treated to, an American farm boy from Wyoming named Rulon Gardner pulled off an unimaginable upset victory. He won gold by beating the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler ever, Alexander Karelin, the most frightening man on the planet, a Russian legend who hadn't lost an international wrestling match in his life.

Thank goodness for Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner's gigantic upset over Russian Alexander Karelin, who was thought to be unbeatable. Maybe a victory such as this one will take some of the focus off the numerous positive drug tests of this year's Olympics.

IN RESPONSE to the Aug. 27 story headlined ''Officer's arrest causes pain, anger,'' I feel that I must offer a commentary.It is lamentable that Lake Mary police Officer Rulon Romanowski's arrest distresses fellow officers and that the law enforcement community may be tarnished.Being from a police family, I can attest how families of police officers are the forgotten victims of such situations.My husband, a 14-year veteran and police lieutenant, was given a 15-day unpaid suspension as a result of a pursuit of a suspect in a stolen car that went from Seminole County into Volusia County.

Anna Kournikova's reward for a hard-fought victory over fellow wild card Selima Sfar of Tunisia is a match with Venus Williams. Kournikova beat Sfar 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-4 in the featured night match of the $585,000 Dubai Open in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Williams, who had a first-round bye, will take over the No. 1 ranking next week after already winning three tournaments this year. Williams will pass Jennifer Capriati next week to take over the top spot in the WTA rankings. Williams is 137 points behind Capriati, who will lose 141 points next week because she is not entered in Oklahoma City.

SYDNEY, Australia -- Rulon Gardner described what it is like to wrestle Russian legend Alexander Karelin the best way he knew how. "If you ever get a chance to go on a dairy farm, try to push a cow," said 29-year-old Gardner. "That's what it's like. Moving him is like trying to move a cow. The only problem is, he's a little quicker." Growing up on a dairy farm in Wyoming, Gardner pushed around his fair share of cows. He also tossed heavy rocks aside to clear land. And hauled bales of hay. All the while, he grew and grew to be 6 feet 3, 286 pounds with a 54-inch chest -- so big he said people often ask if he has eaten a small child.